Who Is Sabih Khan? All About Apple’s New Indian-Origin COO From UP's Moradabad

Presently serving as Apple’s Senior Vice President of Operations, Sabih Khan is set to step into the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) later this month.

New Delhi: Sabih Khan was 10 when his family left Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad for Singapore in 1976. He was just another bright-eyed Indian child, landing in a city bursting with ambition. He barely spoke English then. Now, nearly five decades later, that same boy sits at the top of one of the world’s most powerful tech empires – as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Apple Inc.

The announcement has stirred boardrooms. Khan’s elevation is being seen as a sign of tectonic shifts within Apple, particularly around India. The man who once walked the alleys of Moradabad in western Uttar Pradesh now runs the supply chain of a company that shapes global consumer behaviour. And he is doing it at a time when his predecessor Jeff Williams is preparing for retirement, and Apple faces rising pressure over where and how it makes its iPhones.

Born in 1966, Khan’s journey began far from Silicon Valley. After spending his early childhood in India, his family moved to Singapore, where he completed his early education. He then pursued his college studies in the United States, earning degrees in mechanical engineering and economics from Tufts University. He followed it with a master’s in mechanical engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Khan began his Apple journey in 1995. He joined the procurement group and worked his way up through the ranks. By 2019, he was Apple’s Senior Vice President of Operations, leading the company’s massive manufacturing and logistics engine – from component sourcing to product delivery.

He also spearheaded Apple’s Supplier Responsibility Programme, focusing on ethical labour and worker education at manufacturing sites around the world.

Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a statement, called him “one of the principal architects of Apple’s global supply chain”. “Sabih Khan has helped advance new manufacturing technologies and led our expansion in the U.S., while ensuring Apple stays resilient through global challenges,” he said.

He went on to praise Khan’s environmental leadership, highlighting, “He helped drive our ambitious environmental sustainability programme, cutting Apple’s carbon footprint by 60 percent. Most importantly, Sabih leads with heart and lives by his values.”

Jeff Williams, the outgoing COO, also applauded Khan. “I have worked with him for 27 years. I believe he is the most talented operations executive on this planet. I have no doubt Apple’s future is bright under his leadership,” he said.

Before joining Apple, Khan worked at GE Plastics as an Application Development Engineer and Account Technical Leader. There, he helped design customised plastic products in collaboration with clients.

But beyond the boardroom accolades lies a much deeper subtext. Khan’s appointment comes amid Apple’s growing shift toward India.

In 2017, Apple began assembling iPhones in India. In the past year alone, Apple produced $22 billion worth of iPhones in India – a 60 percent jump from the previous year. The company exported $17.4 billion worth of those devices during the 2024-25 fiscal period.

This month, Apple confirmed that it is moving significant portions of its production out of China.

Tim Cook told investors during a call that “we expect most of the iPhones sold in the U.S. to be made in India”. He also said that products like iPads and Apple watches will increasingly be made in Vietnam.

At present, 20 percent of all iPhones sold globally are made in India. Apple plans to increase that figure in the coming years – a strategic realignment that many see as both a geopolitical response and a business hedge.

The timing of Khan’s elevation also sends a message not only within Apple, but globally. Just recently, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Cook that if Apple continued to produce iPhones outside the United States, especially in India, it would face heavy tariffs. That warning came with political heat, but Apple did not blink. Instead, it doubled down on its India strategy and promoted a Moradabad-born engineer to one of the most powerful posts in the company.

The message, to many, is clear. Apple is not backing down. And with Khan now in the cockpit of its global operations, the company seems more determined than ever to bet on India and its people.